Sheppey charity match tribute to Jimmy Gray at Sheerness East Working Men's Club in Halfway

Island footballers past and present are staging a game in honour of a popular coach.

The Jimmy Gray Charity Match takes place from 11am today at Sheerness East.

Two teams, comprising a mixture of veterans and current players, will meet in tribute to dad-of-two Jimmy, a former Sheerness East coach, who died in February aged 52 after suffering cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer which forms in the bile duct.

James Gray, former Sheerness East and Sheppey coach

The match is open to players of all ages and abilities and its organisers say it’s a case of “the more, the merrier”.

A minimum donation of £10 is required to play, with all proceeds going towards AMMF, the UK’s only cholangiocarcinoma charity.

Mandy Gray, Jimmy’s wife, hopes the game will attract a big turnout of players and supporters.

She said: “Jim loved his football, so this really is a fitting tribute to him.

“I hope we get a good crowd, not only as a celebration of the time and effort Jim dedicated to the East as a manager and supporter.

“But it’s also important we raise as much money and awareness as we can into cholangiocarcinoma.

“Very little is known about its cause, and if this match goes some way to progressing research into this terrible disease, I can think of no better way to honour Jim’s memory.”